Various remotely controllable access control mechanisms are known, including movable barrier operators for movable barriers including, but not limited to, single and segmented garage doors, pivoting and sliding doors and cross-arms, rolling shutters, and the like. In general, each such system includes a primary barrier control mechanism. The latter couples in an appropriate way to a corresponding barrier and causes the barrier to move (typically between closed and opened positions).
In many cases, the primary barrier control mechanism will respond to appropriate access requesting signals from a wireless remote control device. At a minimum, these devices must interact compatibly using a common signal-bearing channel and modulation type, as well as a shared communication protocol. In addition, for many systems, the remote control device must further be able to provide (either automatically or upon request) identifying or other proof-of-authorization information to the primary barrier control mechanism.
Remote control devices as provided by the original manufacturer of the corresponding primary barrier control mechanism, of course, typically present no great issues in this regard. A consumer can be reasonably assured that, with little or no effort, the remote control device and/or the primary barrier control mechanism can be readily configured to co-operate successfully with one another.
With increasing frequency, however, such circumstances are not always present. For example, many automobiles are sold with a so-called universal integrated wireless remote control device (often mounted, for example, on the sun visor near the driver). Such devices typically include a variety of application programs and other data, parameters, and information that relate to compatible interoperability with a corresponding variety of makes of access control mechanisms. In such a case, the consumer who acquires the supplemental remote control device must take whatever steps are necessary to enable compatible operation via the universal integrated wireless remote control device.
Unfortunately, not all potential operators of such devices have the time, interest, patience, or other required wherewithal to assure appropriate configuration of such remote control devices. The training mechanism can differ with the make (or even model) of the access control device itself, thereby forcing the operator to need to ascertain which training mechanism to utilize to effect the desired configuration. Such problems are acerbated by the fact that such remote control devices typically have very minimal user interfaces (often only one or two push buttons, for example) and little or nothing in the way of visual or auditory feedback to the user (often only one or two small signal lights, for example).
Unfortunately, the growing ubiquity of such devices does not seem to urge any improvement in this situation. Just as, for so long, many people were reputed to own and use video cassette recorders that were never successfully programmed by their operator to display the correct time, so now there arguably appear to be many remote control devices that are either incorrectly programmed or not programmed at all.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are typically not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.